17
CRISTINA MOLINA
Emeritus Doctor, Pitiusa Health Area
“CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS MARKED THE BEGINNING OF WOMEN’S LIBERATION”
For more than three decades, Cristina Molina led the Women’s Care Unit at the Ibiza and Formentera Health Area and was the driving force behind the Family Planning department. The Argentine gynecologist retired in 2022 but returned as an emeritus doctor to continue advancing women’s healthcare and support networks.
What have been the greatest rewards from a life dedicated to healthcare in Ibiza?
First, the gratitude of the women who were my patients for years. It’s so lovely to have people stop me anywhere to say hello and express how happy they are that I’m still working after being named emeritus doctor in sexual and reproductive health. Also, I’ve been lucky to meet many people, both inside and outside the healthcare field, whom I deeply respect and who respect me in turn.
Do you introduce new philosophies and techniques into your work, or revive older ones?
This new chapter allows me to collaborate with other professionals in ongoing training, organizing events, courses and workshops, like the one we held last year for midwives, family doctors and nurses to learn how to insert contraceptive methods. I’m grateful for the support from the different departments at Can Misses Hospital. I consider that another reward, because whenever I ask someone to collaborate, they respond positively right away, and that’s really important to me.
What method has made the biggest difference in women’s health and wellbeing?
Using contraceptive methods, because they represented a social shift, especially at the beginning of women’s liberation. In recent years, they’ve improved a lot, becoming more effective and safer. Today’s contraceptives use low doses of estrogen and new-generation progestins. They’re not only used to prevent pregnancy, but they also benefit women’s health by treating painful periods, heavy menstruation, acne and even gynecological conditions that used to require surgery. Several scientific societies have even confirmed they offer protection against certain cancers like ovarian, endometrial and colorectal cancer.
18
FRANCISCO LARREY
Director, Santa Eulària-Ibiza Marathon
“SPORT IS THE BEST MEDICINE FOR EVERYONE”
Sport is becoming increasingly important not only for individual well-being but also as a magnet for visitors and a force for regional unity. Thanks to the initiative and effort of people like Francisco Larrey, sport is a new way to discover Ibiza. Through Talentum Group, he leads the Santa Eulària-Ibiza Marathon. With eight years of history, record-breaking participation and a spectacular course, the event blends health, landscape and global appeal. It has transformed the island’s sports tourism landscape.
How do you define true well-being in Ibiza?
That moment when you go for a run by the sea or through green fields at sunrise or sunset. Your body fills with energy and your lungs with oxygen.
What does a large-scale event like a marathon bring to the world of health?
It offers a fitness goal and a running celebration by bringing together thousands of runners from all over the world. From the Kids Run to the full marathon, plus the intermediate 22 kilometers and the popular 12-kilometer race, athletes of all levels get to enjoy the sport. It’s a magical event that generates major benefits for the island, attracting more than 15,000 visitors during the off-season, and projecting an image of Ibiza built on the values of sport, sustainability, camaraderie and perseverance.
What daily habits make a real difference in people’s health and well-being?
Sport is considered the best medicine for everyone. Running in particular helps not only physically but especially mentally, quickly triggering a high release of endorphins that help you feel better, think more positively and release daily stress.
19
ESTHER MARTÍNEZ PARRÓN
Veterinarian
“IT’S IMPORTANT TO CONSUME MEAT FROM ANIMALS RAISED IN IBIZA”
Esther Martínez Parrón cares for the rural heart of Ibiza. Veterinarian for the Ramat Oví d’Eivissa livestock farmers’ association, with more than 5,000 animals on 180 farms on the island, her mission is to ensure the health of the Ibizan countryside, a key task for the sustainability and balance of local livestock farming.
What is needed to ensure animal welfare on the island?
First, animals need a proper farm with shelter where they can stay safe during bad weather. Ruminants in particular need constant access to food – mainly grass, dry forage or open pasture. And farmers need to know what illnesses to watch for, how to detect them and when to call a vet.
What do you do as a vet to support the health of livestock on the island?
We vaccinate each farm twice a year. The livestock are dewormed, and during these visits we also check their overall condition. If any animal has problems like dog attacks or difficult births, they call us and we go out to treat it.
What is the quality of livestock like on an island such as Ibiza?
The good thing here is that animals are raised extensively as opposed to intensively. It’s not like many places on the mainland, where animals are kept in barns orsheds just to be fattened. Here, the lambs are born and raised free, most of them in the open, so they’re happier. When they’re old enough for slaughter, you can see the quality. It’s really important to eat meat from animals raised in Ibiza – our own zero-kilometer farmers – rather than meat shipped from across the country, which has a much larger environmental footprint.
20
ESTELLA MATUTES JUAN
Hematologist and researcher
“TO DO RESEARCH, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY PATIENT AND LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES”
She worked as a hematologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London for 25 years, was a professor at the Institute of Cancer Research at the University of London, and has published six books and more than 500 articles in international journals. Most importantly, she is the creator of a key diagnostic tool used to detect the most common type of leukemia, known worldwide as the Matutes Score. Estella Matutes Juan, from Ibiza, is a global leader in medicine, and her distinguished career in research has become a source of inspiration and pride for the island.
What has driven you as a researcher, and what have been your main challenges?
As a researcher, you’re driven by the need to uncover what isn’t clear, what’s unknown, and to understand what’s really going on. That’s the main motivation: to gain knowledge. I also find challenges in formulating hypotheses and figuring out whether what you’re thinking is actually true. Sometimes you have to go back, revise the hypothesis, and start all over again. You have to be a very patient person and really learn to value your mistakes.
Which discovery are you most proud of and why?
The most rewarding thing research has given me is the ability to apply a set of guidelines that allow for a precise diagnosis of certain diseases that previously didn’t have one, where treatments weren’t tailored to the illness. This has led to other branches of research like finding drugs that are especially effective. It’s important because it greatly improves not just quality of life but survival as well. On the other hand, it’s incredibly satisfying to discover what changes have occurred in our genes to make a cell turn malignant, become distorted, multiply and spread. Sometimes these genetic changes can eventually lead to highly targeted treatments with drugs that go directly to those altered genes and fix them.
What message would you give to future researchers from Ibiza?
First of all, be curious. A researcher is like a detective; what we do is clarify things that aren’t clear. If someone wants to pursue this path, they have to be willing to make real sacrifices, to dive fully into what they’re investigating. And even when the road is tough, never give up.
